Critics tore into Republican senators Tuesday night who ignored alarmed whistleblowers and former judges and voted to confirm a former lawyer for President Donald Trump to a lifetime judgeship on a federal appeals court.
Emil Bove was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He previously acted as U.S. deputy attorney general and was a central figure in the legal defense of high-profile Trump criminal trials, including over his handling of classified documents, election obstruction, and the New York hush-money case.
Bove's nomination faced fierce opposition, with more than 75 former federal and state judges and more than 900 former Department of Justice attorneys publicly calling for lawmakers to block his nomination. Additionally, three whistleblowers have spoken out against him, with at least two accusing Bove of encouraging officials to ignore court orders and lying about it.
Bove was confirmed by a narrow 50-49 vote, with Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) joining Democrats in voting no. Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) was not present for the vote.
The vote was roundly criticized on social media.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) wrote on X, "Republicans just voted to confirm Emil Bove. Despite whistleblowers confirming he urged them to ignore court orders. Despite it being clear he lied to the Judiciary Committee. And despite the danger he poses to the rule of law. The corruption of the bench continues."
New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie wrote on Bluesky, that "the republican party is a criminal conspiracy against the american republic."
"Bove himself is a literal criminal. A man whose short time in the public eye is defined by his open contempt for the law and those responsible for enforcing it. And the only reason he was nominated is because of his slavish devotion to the president’s most lawless impulses," Bouie railed.
Writer Meredith O'Brien added on Bluesky, "It is unconscionable that he was given a seat on the federal bench. Law and due process are meaningless to those who put him there."
Nicholas Grossman, a professor of international relations at the University of Illinois, chided on Bluesky, "Senate Confirms Judge Who Says Government Can Ignore Court Orders I wish that was a joke. But if anything, it's understating what just happened."
Andrew Bates, former Biden White House senior deputy press secretary, noted Bove was "stonewalling senators asking if he’s been involved in hiding the Epstein files."
"What’s Mike Lee trying to help cover up by jamming Bove into a lifetime judgeship? Corrupt as hell," he wrote on X.
HuffPost deputy editor Phillip Lewis called Bove "easily Trump’s most alarming court pick in his second term."